Community > Advocacy, Agencies, Access
Public comment for the December meeting can now be signed up for
Firstgenhunter:
Public comments for the December 14th-16th meeting sign ups are now available. This meeting will be fully on zoom but we need as many speakers as we can. Predator hunting will be on the line. The petition by Washington Wildlife First is going to be voted on and its going to be close. The department is recommending that the commission deny it. This petition lowers cougar and bear bag limits and seasons. This is a dream for Smith and Rowland and opens the door for even more damaging policies on predator hunting.
The petition will be voted on Friday at 4pm but if you want to speak you will want to sign up for 2. Public input. Saturday public comment is 11. Committee meetings will be on Thursday if you are interested. The Black Bear Cr-102 will also be voted on at this meeting. A spring bear petition will be voted on and the commission will do a briefing on rules of procedure. You will want to tune in here. If you need topics to speak on here are some ideas.
1. Talk about how your hunting season went.
2. Tell the commission about the benefits of predator hunting and why its needed for the ecosystem.
3. Tell them stories of how hunting is a conservation. Not just with money but stories about volunteering or the deep care we have.
4. Call the commission out on what they are doing and how SOME of them are anti-hunting. One commissioner says we are overreacting and has conspiracy theories. They've been gaslighting us at past meetings.
5. Call out the anti-hunters on their lack of science and how they are anti-hunting. Recently, anti-hunters wrote a letter to governor inslee appealing the wolf petition that got denied. Scroll down to page 11 on the letter and you'll see what antis are telling the governor about the October meeting. Lies, they are afraid that we're getting involved. The letter also states that the WAG (Wolf Advisory group) and the department lied to the commission for their own agenda and is anti-science.
We need a presence at this meeting, this meeting will tease what to expect next year and could put predator hunting at risk. When it asks you what you want to speak on, put in 2. and 11. Here is a link for sign ups and the Center For Biological Diversity's letter to the governor. Scroll down to page 11 to see what they had to say about us. Hope you can speak!
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/wolves_on_the_west_coast/pdfs/Wolf-Rulemaking-Notice-of-Appeal.pdf
https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings/2023/14-16dec2023-agenda
Bullkllr:
"THE INTIMIDATING ATMOSPHERE AT THE COMMISSION MEETING
The vote on the wolf rulemaking petition took place in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
During both days of open public comment, on October 27th and 28th, hunters in camouflage and
animal skins crowded the meeting room. Other meeting attendees observed concealed weapons,
including a knife and firearms, and reported later that they had felt unsafe. These circumstances
were documented in an email subsequently sent by a commissioner to the Department’s director
and to the chief of its law enforcement program.18
This crowd came to oppose a conservation policy the commission has been considering, promote
increased killing of bears and cougars, and encourage commissioners to reject the wolf petition.
Members of this crowd later crowed about the impact they had intimidating commissioners and
wildlife advocates—and women, in particular.
In comments posted afterwards on several Washington online hunting forums, they proclaimed
that they had scared the “antis” so much that they “wouldn’t come out when their names were
called,” and talked about how they had disrupted the proceedings by jeering, groaning, and
laughing. They took credit for the “no” vote on the wolf rulemaking petition and that they had
scored a “massive win[] for hunters, anglers [and] ranchers."
Hmmmmm...interesting they felt this was necessary to include in the letter.
Footnote 18: 18 November 11, 2023, email from Commissioner Lorna Smith to WDFW director Kelly Susewind and WDFW lawenforcement chief Steve Bear. Exhibit N
I'd like to see exactly what Lorna Smith shared in that email.
Firstgenhunter:
--- Quote from: Bullkllr on December 01, 2023, 03:57:20 PM ---"THE INTIMIDATING ATMOSPHERE AT THE COMMISSION MEETING
The vote on the wolf rulemaking petition took place in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
During both days of open public comment, on October 27th and 28th, hunters in camouflage and
animal skins crowded the meeting room. Other meeting attendees observed concealed weapons,
including a knife and firearms, and reported later that they had felt unsafe. These circumstances
were documented in an email subsequently sent by a commissioner to the Department’s director
and to the chief of its law enforcement program.18
This crowd came to oppose a conservation policy the commission has been considering, promote
increased killing of bears and cougars, and encourage commissioners to reject the wolf petition.
Members of this crowd later crowed about the impact they had intimidating commissioners and
wildlife advocates—and women, in particular.
In comments posted afterwards on several Washington online hunting forums, they proclaimed
that they had scared the “antis” so much that they “wouldn’t come out when their names were
called,” and talked about how they had disrupted the proceedings by jeering, groaning, and
laughing. They took credit for the “no” vote on the wolf rulemaking petition and that they had
scored a “massive win[] for hunters, anglers [and] ranchers."
Hmmmmm...interesting they felt this was necessary to include in the letter.
Footnote 18: 18 November 11, 2023, email from Commissioner Lorna Smith to WDFW director Kelly Susewind and WDFW lawenforcement chief Steve Bear. Exhibit N
I'd like to see exactly what Lorna Smith shared in that email.
--- End quote ---
They are definitely watching this forum and social media but misquoting. One of our members is doing an investigation on the weapon claim. It’s possible Lorna leaked it to damage hunters rep. The fact that the email was sent on the 11th is crazy. Why wait so long to send an email if you really felt threatened. High chance Lorna sent it to them. I doubt it was a FOIA or PDR. If so, then they are getting it faster then we are when we do it. Check out hunter farmer artisan on insta to watch the full video!
baldopepper:
Probably get slammed for saying it, but showing up to these meetings in heavy camo and standing outside with long guns is just what some of the antis would like to see. Makes us look like a bunch of slobs and is easy material for them to display to any of those sitting on the fence about hunters and hunting. Show up, make your point, but don't look like an idiot when you do it.
hunter399:
Wow
Blows my mind.
Sounds like an excuse to revote it .
Just saying.
Must of been a real shocker to see what us stake holders look like.
Holy batman